I own a 2003 Protege 5.
I called the local dealerships and got quotes ranging from $398-$560 for Mazda dealers to perform the 30k svc on it.
When it came down to it I basically just need new plugs.
I bought some Laser Platinums from NAPA for $53 total and here we are.
My husband will be installing them (or one of the car geeks at work).
What should the gap be set to for them?
If I'm not asking the right question please forgive me. I'm far from being technical when it comes to cars.

 

The plug gap is .040"-.043" (1.0-1.1 mm). The spark plug tightening torque is 11-16 ft/lbs.

BTW, you would have been better off just using the OEM NGK copper plugs (BKR5E-11). They are as good as any other you could buy and much, much cheaper. When you buy the plugs from the dealer they come pre-gapped although it's always good to check before installation.

Of course use spark plug anti-seize on the threads and coat the inside of the rubber boots with dielectric grease before connecting to the plugs.

 

Thank you very much for your help.

 

autozone sells pregapped denso plugs for our car for less too.

 

There's one more thing you really should do, that is part of the 30Kmiles / 48K km service - do it yourself. You should lube the caliper slide pins on front and rear brakes. I took mine out to look at 24K km, and found the fronts OK, but rears bone dry. Mazda tells you to do it every 24K km / 15K miles.

 

Took almost a month (due to work schedule) but we got the plugs and wires changed today. The old plugs looked TERRIBLE! My baby has much more ZOOM ZOOM now!

 

Good job. Nice to hear that they made a substantial improvement.

 

I put the Bosch Plat 2's in at 50k, and noticed a much smoother idle. You cant gap them though, but they are designed for the specific car. Mileage actually improved just slightly too.
I was getting 29-31 on avg, now 32-34 is average, with no real driving style changes.

 

30K service also gets belt changes doesn't it? I always do mine at 30K....maybe it's just old habits. also fuel system cleaning, TB cleaning, rotate and balance, plugs (wires usually don't need it)

 

No belt changes, just belt/hose checks.
Matty, how do you do your TB cleaning?

 

Carb cleaner and a lot of rags. Gotta be real careful about spilling carb cleaner on plastic lines...it'll eat them away and dry them out.

I use a vapor-drip bottle to atomize the EFI cleaner into the intake manifold. Just get a nice steady mist sucking into the engine and it'll break up all the carbon off the valves and clean everything out real well....the more it smokes the better it's working.